Work underway at Birmingham City University's £61 million city centre campus

MD of Willmott Dixons, Peter Owen and David Tidmarsh Vice-Chancellor at Birmingham City University break the sod

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WORK is now underway on the site of a new £61 million university campus in the heart of Birmingham city centre.

Original plans for the flagship Birmingham City University campus in the city centre were derailed after the site which was originally chosen for the ambitious scheme was reserved for a high-speed rail station.

The campus was to have been built next to Curzon Street Station, in Bartholomew Street, but the Government said the land had to be used for Birmingham’s HS2 high speed rail terminus.

The scheme was saved when an alternative site was found on Curzon Street next to Millennium Point for the building, which is expected to open to students in the autumn of 2013.

A turf-cutting ceremony marked the beginning of the development, which will house the university’s Birmingham Institute of Art and Design and industry-standard TV, radio and photographic studios.

The new campus is part of an overall £180 million investment programme by the university.

Vice chancellor, Professor David Tidmarsh, said: “It’s fantastic to be here and see this happening, especially because of the effort everyone has put in to get to this point following the disappointment about the original site.

“With the new home of the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design and the best TV and radio studios in the region, this will be an important focus for students. The location by Millennium Point means we will enjoy very good transport links, and the university will be a major presence in the eastside of the city.”

The building has been designed by Birmingham-based Associated Architects and city firm Willmott Dixon is overseeing the construction.

It will stand five floors high and include a bridge link into to the university’s Faculty of Technology, Engineering and the Environment, which is located inside Millennium Point.

James Hall from Associated Architects said: “We’ve been working with the university for the past three years, so we are pleased to see work get underway.

“The building will have great facilities in an environment that is very student-focused.”